This is the way the Pollicles play
by Cas di Angelo
Summary: When Bombalurina's human goes out of town for a while, she is sent to a friends' house... who also owns a dog. Lots of fun and games ahead... Not. Contains OC--because of the lack of dog characters in the show! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

I rolled on some leaves, my tongue hanging out of my mouth. I loved Autumn. I heard a whistle in the distance, and I ran to my human, wagging my tail vigorously. I could smell a treat on him. I tried to calm myself, but I could tell the treat was from the large box on the pantry shelf inside; those ones tasted the best.

"Woah," my human said, putting his hands out; I licked them, tasting the remnants of a cheeseburger from earlier. "Settle down, girl." I practically danced on the porch, hopping from one foot to another. "Anya!" he yelled strictly. I flinched at the harshness in his voice, lowering my ears sadly. I didn't like it when he yelled at me.

My human put his hands on his hips, watching me. "Aw, it's ok, girl." I raised my head hopefully. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cookie for me. I forced myself to stay calm, though my tail started wagging again. My eyes stayed locked on the treat as I waited for the impending command.

"Speak!"

I barked loudly, raising up on my hind legs and letting my tongue hang out again. My human laughed and tossed the treat. I flipped backwards, catching the treat in my mouth as I landed. I heard another voice, and again my tail was off. My other human was coming, and from the way she was talking, she was on the phone.

"Yes," she said, coming to stand beside my other human; she called him 'Matt'. "That's right… A husky/malamute mix, with a little wolf… Yes, she's very friendly." She waited a moment, listening to a tiny voice. I'd heard the tiny voice so many times, and was dying to meet the human with a voice that small. "Oh, yes, she would love to have someone to play with." My ears perked up at the word 'play'. I leaned against Matt's leg, looking up at my two humans, my tail thumping against the door frame. "I'll pick her up tomorrow." The girl human, called 'Sharlee', smiled and laughed. "Ok, then. See you tomorrow." She pushed a button on the phone, making it beep.

"Cat-sitting again?" Matt asked. Sharlee nodded.

"Julie was just worried that Anya wouldn't like having a cat around," Sharlee said. "After all, we didn't have her the last time Suri came over."

"Ah, they'll both be fine," Matt assured, ruffling Anya's ears. "What time are we picking her up?"

"I'll get her after work."

I barked happily. I would have someone to play with! I didn't know what a 'cat-sitting' or a 'suri' was, but it sounded like fun!

^.-.^

Bomba stretched out on a cushion, meowing loudly as Julie walked into the room. She didn't hear her, though; she was on the phone.

"Is she friendly?" she waited a bit, listening to the other end. "She's only a year old, right? That'll give them both a lot of play time," Julie laughed loudly, and Bombalurina was suddenly curious. Julie was setting up a playdate with a kitten? Since when did this happen? "When could you come get her?... Ok, then, see you later!" She hung up the phone, tossing it on the couch. Bomba followed Julie into her bedroom, sitting herself in one of the suitcases that littered the room.

"Sorry, Suri," Julie said, scratching Bombalurina on the head. "I can't take you with me." She picked up Bomba, placing her on the bed. "You'll be staying with Sharlee and Matt for a few days." Bomba smiled; she loved staying with Julie's friend, because they always pampered her beyond belief. Satisfied that she wouldn't be alone while Julie went to Ireland, Bomba wandered back into the front room and resumed her place on the cushion, waiting for Sharlee to pick her up the next day.

=^..^=

That night, Bomba padded to the junkyard to explain the absence for the next few days. She couldn't keep the smugness out of her voice as she told Munkustrap where she would be, and to not expect her to show up.

^.-.^

I watched out the front window, waiting for Sharlee to come home from work, even though she just left. Matt came to sit next to me and scratched behind my ear, also watching out the window. After a while of sitting at the window, Matt sighed. He had to go to work, too. I watched sadly as he grabbed his keys and left out the door. I sighed and rested my chin on the windowsill, watching him drive away.

**[A/N] Ok! This could get interesting! I was watching UP, and wondered what would happen if a Jellicle was forced to be with a Pollicle! I am so excited to see how this turns out!**


	2. Chapter 2

I was barking loudly; Sharlee's car was pulling into the driveway. Matt wasn't home to tell me to hush, so I just kept on barking. Sharlee got out, and opened my door of the car, pulling a sort of box out. Whatever I was going to play with was in the box, I could tell. I stopped barking, and resorted to wagging my tail as Sharlee opened the front door.

"Hey there, Anya," she said, scratching my ear with her one free hand. I heard a strange hissing from inside the box. I peered inside, my eyes big and my ears forward. Inside, there was a small, four-legged creature, looking very fluffy. Its back was arched, and its tail was sticking straight up—although the roof of the box stopped it from staying up all the way. The creature reminded me of my favorite toy. I cocked my head at the creature. It didn't look at all like my other chew toys… how was I supposed to play with it?

"Anya, this is Suri." Sharlee said, setting the box on the kitchen counter. She opened the door, but the creature—so _that _was a suri!—shrank against the back wall, avoiding Sharlee's hand.

^.-.^

Bombalurina hissed at the pollicle in front of her. The huge thing was looking at her dumbly, its big blue eyes full of curiosity. Why on earth was there a pollicle in Sharlee's home?? They were the stupidest creatures on the planet! Sharlee opened the door, reaching in to pull Bomba out. After dodging the hand a bit, Bomba shot out of the cat-carrier, diving under the couch in the living room.

=^..^=

I stuck my nose under the couch, trying to see the suri. It was under there, making its usual hissing noise. I whined a bit; I wanted to see how I could play with the suri! It looked like fun; it had moved really fast when it ran under the couch. I finally wiggled my head in such a way that I could see it. It was curled up against the wall, its eyes wide and staring at me. I smiled at it.

"Can we play, Suri toy?" My tongue lolled out, hitting the floor.

A look of disgust crossed the suri's face. "Its Bombalurina, you stupid Pollicle."

I blinked. "Whats a Pollicle?" I asked. I suddenly brightened up. "Is that fun to play with?"

The suri rolled its eyes. "You are a Pollicle. Now leave me alone!"

That hit me hard. No one ever told me to leave them alone before, and I slumped on the floor, pulling my tongue in and looking sad. The suri was not the right kind of toy for me. "You are not a very nice suri." I said, pouting.

The suri's eyes flashed with anger. "I'm a cat, you dimwit!"

"I'm not a dimwit, I'm a Pollicle." I reminded the suri of what it said, thinking it silly that it could forget so quickly. "My humans call me Anya, so that is my name! What's yours?"

"Bombalurina."

I cocked my head. It had said that word before, but it was long. I decided to try saying it. "Bomberina?"

The suri covered its head, groaning softly. "Why am I being put through this torture?"

"Is that like playing?" I asked, shoving my nose further under the couch. The suri only groaned again.

^.-.^

Bombalurina ignored Anya's constant questions, wondering how it was possible that she could use the word 'play' in every sentence. She was just glad the pollicle hadn't started barking yet; she couldn't stand the sound of it. With her face and ears covered, she tried to go to sleep under the couch, however uncomfortable it was.

After a while, Sharlee called Anya into the back yard, and the large creature bounded through the door, yapping at the falling leaves. She began to wish Sharlee and Matt had a kitty door.

=^..^=

I ran through the leaves, lost in my game for a while. After a few minutes, I remembered the suri, and looked back towards the house. The suri was sitting in the window, looking at me with disgust.

"Come play, Bomberina!" I yelled, using the suri's name. I jumped in a particularly large pile of leaves. "Its really fun!" I continued to play, showing Bomberina how much fun it was; it looked boring what it was doing, just sitting in the window. I heard laughter behind the fence, so I went to investigate. There was another suri! Only this one looked different, and had a lot more fur around its neck.

"Can you play, suri toy?" I asked, crouching at the fence and wagging my tail. The suri laughed again.

"I'm not Suri," it said. I stopped wagging my tail and cocked my head. It sure _looked _like a suri. It spoke again. "I'm Tugger. Is Bomba inside?

I blinked at the Tugger. "Is Bomba the same thing as Bomberina? Cause Bomberina isn't very fun to play with."

The Tugger laughed. "Well, she likes a different kind of playing."

I let my tongue hang out. "Can you show me?"

"Tugger!" Bomberina came running out, pushing at the fence. "Save me Tugger!"

"I wish I could, babe," Tugger said, shaking his head. "But I can't get over the fence."

"I know this game! I play it every time with Matt; He chases me around the yard, and I get out the fence through the magic spot that I can push open with my nose." Bomberina and Tugger stared at me. "Look, I'll show you!" I bounded over to the magic spot, and was about to open it when I had a thought. I turned to Bomberina. "You have to stay here." I ordered. "If you leave, I won't have anyone to play with." I sat in front of the fence, watching Bomberina.

^.-.^

Bombalurina stared at the Pollicle in disbelief. How did she have a coherent enough thought to guess that Bomba would split as soon as the gate was open? She growled to herself, wishing the dumb thing would just open the gate already. Then she heard Tugger talking.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" He asked.

Anya looked at Tugger. "My name is Anya, because that is what Sharlee and Matt call me."

"Anya, why don't you show us the magic trick?" he said slyly. "I'm sure you're so much smarter than us to be able open it." He winked at Bomba.

Anya beamed with pride. "I am very smart, because I learned all by myself how to open the fence." She put her paws against the gate and pushed at the latch with her nose, and the gate swung open. Bombalurina darted out the gap, making Anya whine a bit.

_Home free,_ she thought. Until Tugger slammed into her, pinning her into the grass.

"Oh no you don't," he grunted. "You told everyone you'd be gone for a few days; how would it look if you showed up now?"

Bomba scowled. "I thought it would just be me!" she protested, "I didn't know they'd gotten another pet!"

"Well," Tugger said, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm going to stay with you, and if I can, I'll make you get rid of your prejudice against Pollicles." He picked her up and carried her back to the yard.

Anya was there, wagging her tail at the sight of them. She poked her nose into Tugger's face. "I have just met you, and I already love you!" she exclaimed. Bomba groaned and covered her nose; dog breath was not the most pleasant of odors.

**[A/N] Yeah… UP is definitely the soul inspiration for this ****. Thanks for those who have reviewed! **

**Insanemistosingsmore: I will try not to let you down!**

**Roselna: Haha! I was wacked up on painkillers when I came up with this idea, so you can imagine the genius behind it!**


	3. Chapter 3

Tugger led Bomba into the far corner of the yard, explaining what he knew about Pollicles.

"Anya is only a puppy, probably just under a year old," he said. "Its natural that she wants to play."

"But its unnatural the _way_ she plays!" Bomba protested.

"Are kittens any different?"

"No," Bomba huffed.

"Now," Tugger said, picking up a good-sized stick. "I'm going to show you how pollicles _really_ play."

Anya came bounding over, her tongue lolling out the side of her muzzle. "That is a stick! Are you going to throw it, Tugger friend?" she had her front paws stretched out in front of her, and her rump was up in the air, swaying back and forth with her tail. Bomba had to admit, it was kind of cute.

He waved the stick in front of her face. "I'm gonna throw it!" He grinned at the husky. "I'm gonna throw it!" Tugger waved it around a bit more, and swung his arm like he threw the stick; Bomba saw him hide it behind his back. Anya was off, tearing through the yard to search for the stick. After a while, she gave up and trotted over to Tugger, her ears back.

"I could not find the stick, Tugger friend." She said sadly.

"Here it is," Tugger said, pulling it out from hiding. Anya barked happily.

"How did you do that? That is a great trick! Do it again!"

Tugger laughed, and acted like he threw the stick again. Bombalurina laughed as the pollicle pup scattered leaves as she tried to find the stick before Tugger could 'pick it up' again. She bounced back to them, her ears forward.

"Did you get it before me again?" she asked eagerly.

Bomba laughed at the dumbfounded expression on Anya's face as Tugger pulled the stick out again. He laughed too. "Do you want to find it this time?" Anya nodded vigorously, barking excitedly. Tugger pulled back his arm and threw the stick as far as he could.

Bombalurina didn't think she'd ever seen anything run so fast. Anya kept her eyes on the flying stick, and when it came closer to the ground she leapt into the air, catching the stick and doing a sort of back flip at the same time. She landed in a large pile of leaves, and rolled in them a bit before trotting back over to Bomba and Tugger.

"Loo'!" She said, holding the stick proudly in her teeth. "I go' the s'ick!"

^.-.^

I walked over to them, proud that I could find the stick before Tugger. I sat patiently in front of Bomberina and Tugger, waiting for them to get a treat from the box on the pantry shelf. That was what Matt did every time I caught something. I heard the door opening, and Sharlee called out to us.

"Girls, come on in," she yelled. "Its bath time!"

I dropped the stick; bath time was my favorite! I raced to the door, with Bomberina coming in close behind me. I turned around.

"Do you like bath time too?" I asked.

Bomberina looked a bit uncomfortable. "Just don't tell anyone," she said.

I shook my head vigorously. "I will keep your secret, I will."

We both headed into the bathroom, where the tub was full of hot water. I barked happily and prepared to jump in. Sharlee grabbed my collar, though, and stopped me. "It's Suri's turn first," she said.

She picked up Bomberina and sat on the edge of the tub. She began scooping water onto Bomberina's fur, making it flatten. I snickered a bit. She looked kind of like a Chihuahua. Bomberina poked her tongue out at me, and I let mine fall out of my mouth. Then Sharlee squirted shampoo—the kind that smelled like spring—onto Bomberina's back, and began rubbing it around, making a lot of bubbles. I stretched out my nose to pop a particularly big one.

Finally, Sharlee was splashing all the bubbles away and drying Bomberina with a towel. She set the suri on the floor, where she curled up in the towel, rubbing at any damp spot. "Ok," Sharlee said. "It's your turn Anya."

Determined that I could be just as still as Bomberina, I stepped lightly into the tub, waiting for Sharlee to get me wet. Sharlee did, and while she was rubbing shampoo through my fur, she praised my calmness. I felt like I was glowing. So being still and calm was better than being like a puppy! I set a goal to stay like this the rest of the time Bomberina was here; maybe she would play with me before she left.

After our baths, Sharlee put out two dishes of food; one for me in my usual bowl, and one for Bomberina in a smaller bowl. I was eating my own kibble when I began to smell chicken and other delicious flavors. I looked up.

"Hey," I said, eyeing Bomberina's food. "How come you got the yummy smelling stuff?"

Bomberina looked smug. "Because I'm a cat, and you're a dog. We eat different things."

I put my chin on the counter, where her bowl of half-finished food was. "Can I have a taste?" I whined. "Please? Pretty please?"

Bomberina rolled her eyes. "No. Eat your own food."

I dropped back down to my own bowl. I still wanted to try her food, but I knew that 'no' meant no.

=^..^=

Bomba hopped up to the window to nap in the sun. She felt wonderful after her bath, and since her stomach was full, all she wanted to do was sleep. A movement out in the yard caught her eye, and she realized that Tugger was still out there! She went to the back door, inspecting the latch. It wasn't much different from the fence.

"Anya," she called. The pollicle was instantly alert. Bomba smiled. "Can you open the back door for me? My friend is still outside."

"Ooh!" Anya trotted to the door. "Tugger friend should come inside, yes he should." She stood up on her hind legs and pushed on the latch, and then pulled the door open with her teeth. Bomba walked out onto the porch, nuzzling Tugger as he came in.

"What can we play now?" Anya asked, her tongue flopping out of her mouth.

Tugger sat in front of her, looking at her with a sly expression. He winked at Bomba. "How about we play Hide-and-seek? We'll hide, and you count and come find us."

"Can she even count?" Bomba whispered into Tugger's ear. But Anya was ecstatic.

"I love that game, I do! I'll start counting right now!" She crouched down, covering her eyes with her paws. "One… uh, three… seven… five and a bit… twelve… eleventy… nine… twenty…"

They didn't hear the rest of Anya's disjointed counting, they were already running off laughing to a well hidden spot Bombalurina knew of.

^.-.^

"Forty-fifteen… one hundred! Ready or not here I come!" I shouted. I listened for a moment, hoping to catch a sound of their paws. I sighed; nothing. I sniffed at the spot they had been sitting, and smiled. I was very good at this game! My nose to the ground, I followed the scent of Bomberina and Tugger.

The scent trail led into the pantry, and ended at the wall. I sniffed around a bit, confused. Why did the trail just stop? I examined the place it ended, scratching a bit at the wall. I whined and yawned. I was getting tired. I shrugged, and curled up for a quick nap in front of the spot.

…

After my nap, I felt much better. I looked at the wall again, surprised. For the first time, I saw a small handle, kind of like the ones on a car door. I sniffed at the handle. It smelled like Bomberina. I smiled to myself. I knew they were hiding behind the secret door. It took me a while to open it, because I was trying to be quiet, but I managed to open the door.

It looked like Bomberina and Tugger were playing some kind of game… they were rolling all over each other, and their faces were pressed together. I wagged my tail.

"If you are trying to eat each other's faces, you have to open your mouths a lot wider, like this." I said, stretching my own to show them. Bomberina looked extremely mad, and Tugger was shaking with laughter. "Anyway, I found you so now it's my turn to hide!" I sped out of the pantry, looking for a place to hide.

**[A/N] By the way… the rating for this chapter is K+… but not T, because Anya thought they were playing a game.**


	4. Chapter 4

Bomba scowled at the space Anya had just vacated. "Are you so supportive of her now?"

Tugger covered his mouth to try and control his laughter, and wiped away tears that were forming at the corner of his eyes. "You have to admit, Bombs, she was just playing the game. It's probably our own fault that she found us like that." He laughed again.

Bomba rolled her eyes. "I can't wait for Julie to get back," she muttered darkly. Tugger sighed and pulled his arms around her, kissing her neck lightly.

"It's only the first day," he reminded her. "And I haven't shown you the coolest thing about Pollicles yet."

"Ugh, I don't think I want to know."

Tugger shrugged, the stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"We're it," He grinned. "I'm off to find that pup."

=^..^=

I giggled to myself. _They will never find me,_ I thought. My hiding place was perfect. I was crouching in the bathtub, and had pulled the curtain shut so as to hide me better. I sat there for what felt like hours, listening for anyone approaching. I bit back a yawn. Maybe Bomberina and Tugger weren't so good at playing this game. Suddenly, I my nose started to tickle and twitch. I held my breath to stop the sneeze, but it didn't work. Breath flew out of my nose, and the fact that I was in the bathroom only made the sound louder.

^.-.^

Tugger grinned at Bomba. "Dogs can't stay hidden for long." He said, gesturing towards the bathroom and the tremendous sneeze they had just heard. Bomba rolled her eyes but followed Tugger into Anya's hiding place. He pulled back the curtain to reveal Anya scrubbing awkwardly at her nose. She paused and stared up at them with her light blue eyes; Bomba hadn't noticed before what a pretty color they were.

"Did I lose?"

Tugger laughed. "It's alright. We can play again some other time," he said. He patted her lightly on her muzzle.

"Right now, though," Bomba said, shooting a glance at Tugger. "We need a nap. We've been playing all day, and I'm feeling tired."

Tugger's eyes lit up. "A nap sounds like the perfect thing," he said, pulling an arm around Bomba's waist.

Anya considered this. "I do feel kind of sleepy," she said slowly. Then she brightened. "Do you want to share my pillow? It's big and soft and there's lots of room for all of us!"

Bomba opened her mouth, but Tugger cut her off. "We would love to! Show us the way!"

As Anya bounced off happily through the house, Bomba glared icily at Tugger. He shrugged. "One more great thing about Pollicles," he said. "Is that they are—for some reason—more comfortable to lay on than any pillow." He took in Bombalurina's skeptical look. "You'll believe me when you're laying down,"

Anya's pillow actually turned out to be a giant bean bag. Bomba could make out the word 'Luvsac' printed on the side. The husky pollicle jumped up and circled on the bed a few times before settling down. Tugger leapt nimbly up, with Bomba staring uncertainly at the Maine Coon. He patted the space beside him, smiling.

"I don't bite, friend Bomberina." Anya said, giving a lopsided grin.

That did if for the red queen. She laughed at the goofy expression on Anya's face. "Call me Bomba," she said, climbing up next to Tugger.

"Bomba…" Anya tried the new name. She grinned again. "Okay, I will call you Bomba!"

"So, Anya," Tugger started. "Know any good stories?"

"Um… Yes!" She focused on the ceiling, clearly making up her story as she went along. "Um, Once upon a time, there was… a cat! And this cat had super powers! This cat… called… Mozilla Cat, could fly, and had super hearing, and he was stronger than all the other bad guys put together. He lived in a city called… Windows, and lived undercover fighting crime. One day, a pretty lady cat called Laya came to him. She was crying, and Mozilla Cat asked her what was wrong. Laya said that her little brother was stuck in a tree, and she needed help to get him down.

"Well, Mozilla knew that a little kitten trapped in a tree was a very scary thing (for the kitten) so he rushed down to the tree as soon as he could, and flew up to the small kitten boy who was trapped in the tree. The boy kitten, who was named Revi, climbed onto Mozilla Cat's back, and Mozilla Cat landed next to Laya. Laya was so happy that she gave Mozilla Cat a great big hug, and so did Revi. They gave him a lot of treats for saving the day (again) and Mozilla said, 'It is just part of my job,'. Then Laya and Revi called Mozilla their hero, and… the end!"

Bomba laughed, and Tugger applauded a little. The red queen had to admit, Anya was cute, in her own way. "So, Tugger," Bomba began, but Tugger put a paw on her lips, stopping her.

"I do not see a Tugger here," he said, grinning mischievously. "I am Mozilla Cat! O, fair Laya, where is the trouble today?" He leapt up and made a great show of gestures and paw motions.

Bomba laughed. "I am being held captive by the Great Dragon Argyle! Please, Mozilla Cat! Save me!"

Anya's eyes went huge as she realized she was the Great Dragon. She reared up on her hind legs, pawing at the air in front of her. "None shall pass the Great Dragon Argyle!" she said, then let out a long howl that she supposed passed as a roar.

"Oh, please have mercy, Great Dragon! I am but a fair maiden!"

"Have no fear, Lady Cat Laya, I will rescue you!" Tugger drew an imaginary sword from his hip, and pointed it at Anya. "You've met your match, foul beast!" Anya crouched down somewhat in front of Bomba.

"You will not defeat me!" she yelled playfully. "I am the Great Dragon Argyle, and cannot be beaten by Mozilla Cat!"

"You wanna bet?" Tugger jumped onto Anya's back and grabbed hold of her collar as she began leaping around the room as if she were in a rodeo. Bomba was laughing uncontrollably as Mozilla Cat and Argyle the Great Dragon battled for the fair Lady Laya. The battle ended when Tugger managed to get Anya on her back and began tickling her, encouraging Bomba to join him. After several more hours of tickling, playing, and making up stories, the three new friends fell asleep in front of the couch, completely disregarding the huge bean bag.

_Tugger was right,_ Bomba thought as she drifted off to sleep. _They are more comfortable than a pillow._

**[A/N]**

**Ok, so when Tugger is playing Mozilla, I pictured him talking like Prince Edward from Enchanted. I also didn't think the story through on purpose; because then, I could (obviously) make it up as I went along : ) Happy reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Bomba watched Anya bound ahead of her and Tugger as they progressed along the sidewalk. They had all decided they were bored, and Anya suggested they go to the park. Without anything else to do, Tugger and Bomba agreed. Leaves were falling, and there were a few clouds in the sky. All in all, it was a lovely day.

Anya barked happily as the park came into view, and Bomba saw several other pollicles playing with their owners or each other. "Friend Sunny! Friend Dameon!" Anya called. A yellow lab and a German shepherd both came running over, and the three greeted each other in the *ahem* traditional pollicle way.

"What are those?" Dameon, the German shepherd asked, looking at Bomba and Tugger. "Are they some kind of small dog?"

Anya laughed and Sunny shook her head. "Those are cats, Dameon," she said, nudging him. "Remember there's one living at my house now?"

Bomba blinked; Sunny sounded much more educated than both Dameon and Anya. She wondered what the reason was. Sunny trotted over to the two Jellicles, sitting down at a polite distance. "It's nice to meet you," she said, holding out a paw. "I am Sunny. What are your names?"

"I'm Bombalurina,"

"Rum Tum Tugger."

Sunny dipped her head briefly, and Bombalurina was impressed. The yellow lab glanced back at Dameon and Anya, who were wrestling in the leaves. She lowered her voice. "Don't be bothered by those two puppies. They just can't help themselves sometimes."

"You're not a puppy?" Bomba asked, surprised.

Sunny laughed. "Heavens, no! I'm almost four, actually. My birthday is in a few months."

"So, are you like a care-taker of those two?" Tugger asked, pointing to the two younger Pollicles.

"Yes," Sunny nodded, glancing at them again. "Only when they're at the park, though. I was sort of put in charge of getting some knowledge in their heads." She sighed wearily at the thought, and then turned her head sharply and called out, "Anya, take that out of your mouth! We do not eat snails!"

Bomba glanced at the husky, who was gingerly dropping a shell out of her mouth. She laid her ears back as she watched the snail slowly drag itself away through the leaves. Dameon sniffed at it, but he let it pass. Bombalurina was surprised; she hadn't seen Anya pick up the snail at all.

"Friend Sunny, can we see your puppies now?" Dameon asked. He shifted back into a position Bomba knew as a trick called 'sitting pretty'. Anya nodded and copied him, both of them holding impossibly still as they waited for Sunny's answer.

She smiled at them. "Of course, but remember how to behave?" Both of them nodded, and Sunny set off through the park towards a man on a bench. He was surrounded by four puppies, all of them wobbling on their unsteady legs, and yapping at anything they saw. Bomba laughed to see they were also climbing on a Great Dane.

Bomba caught up to Sunny. "Is that your mate?" she asked, meaning the Great Dane. Sunny nodded.

"Those four got so big inside of me," she said quietly. "I'm glad they're alive and well. They were born early, and Drake and I thought they wouldn't make it."

"Momma!" The four small puppies yelled, and abandoned their father to swarm Sunny. Bomba and Tugger backed up a bit; the puppies were very active.

After a moment of letting the four climb over her, Sunny called out, "Sit still please!" Immediately the puppies did as they were told, but their tails were wagging out of control. Sunny smiled at them. "Tell Bombalurina and Tugger your names," she urged them.

"My name is Crash," he was dark grey, with his mother's floppy ears and big brown eyes.

"Lily," a lighter grey girl called out. Her ears stuck up the most out of her siblings, and her eyes were dark blue.

"I'm Eddi," another girl said. She was slightly lighter than Crash, and if her ears weren't slightly up, Bomba wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the two.

"What's your name?" Tugger asked, approaching the last puppy. He looked at Tugger with his big eyes, as if he was fascinated by the creature in front of him.

Sunny cleared her throat, and the pup flinched. "My name's Toby." He said, and his small face broke out into a grin. "Do you want to play?"

Tugger glanced at Bomba, who shrugged. "How good's your throwing arm?" She asked, spying a long stick on the ground.

Padding over to the stick, Tugger picked it up. Suddenly, the six puppies—Sunny's four along with Anya and Dameon—were ready to run after the stick. Anya seemed particularly tense; she knew how fast Tugger could 'find' the stick. The first several times, Tugger only pretended to throw the stick, leaving the pups dumbfounded and Drake and Sunny laughing their heads off every single time. They then played a game Tugger and Bombalurina invented; first one to catch the stick gets points, and the one with the most points after ten throws won. On the ninth throw, Crash and Eddi were tied, and they ended up carrying the stick back together, sharing it between them.

Their fun and games ended when the human sitting on the bench called to the Pollicle family to come home, and Dameon's owner clipped him onto a leash. Anya waved to them, then flipped onto her back, suddenly bored.

"It's getting dark," Bomba remarked.

Tugger glanced at the sky. "And it looks like it's going to storm. We should get back home."

Anya nodded, looking at the clouds nervously.

=^..^=

I followed Tugger and Bomba, glancing up at the clouds ever couple of seconds. It was going to rain any minute, I could feel it. It's not like I didn't like rain, but I couldn't remember seeing rain clouds that dark before. We were about halfway home when I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey there, Lu."

^.-.^

Bomba turned around to see a large black lab staring at Anya with half-closed eyes. _Uh-oh,_ Bomba thought. She knew that look; she'd seen it on altogether too many toms as they'd gazed at her.

Tugger recognized the look too. "Anya, why did he call you 'Lu'?"

"It's short for Lupine," Anya said without taking her eyes off the lab. "Like a wolf." She refocused her full attention to the lab. "Oreo, I think we can avoid fighting if you leave now."

_Woah, fighting?_ Bomba watched the husky, surprised; the way she said it, it sounded like she'd done it before with this particular Pollicle. All at once, Bomba noticed several scars—though they were barely visible under her thick fur—interrupting the smooth flow of her coat.

"I'm not going to fight you," Oreo said, laughing. He took a few steps forward, and Bomba noticed there were several more male dogs watching. "I'm just feeling a bit restless right now."

"Well," Anya stuttered. "I—I don't think I can help you rest."

"Aww, c'mon cutie," Oreo said roughly licking her cheek. Anya flinched backward. "I'm hungry for my wolf-girl."

"Leave her alone!" Tugger sprang forward, hissing violently with his fur standing on end. Oreo looked down at the fierce Maine Coon, momentarily surprised. Then he started laughing.

"You've been hanging around _Jellicles?_ Is that what you've been doing this past week?"

Bomba scowled at the black Pollicle. He'd made it sound like an insult. She found herself bristling, hissing at Oreo. That only sent Oreo and the rest of the Pollicles into more laughter. Unable to restrain herself much longer, Bomba launched herself at the nose of the nearest Pollicle, tearing into whatever flesh she could reach with her claws. Tugger attacked the next nearest one, a rough looking Dalmatian, and the rest of the dogs began either trying to get Bomba and Tugger off their comrades or fighting Anya, who had also attacked Oreo.

The air was filled with snarling and growling, and fur went flying as the dogs viciously bit into each other. Bomba was able to scratch one across the eye, and he managed to run head-long into the stone wall next to the sidewalk, successfully knocking himself out. Bomba did a quick head-count; only three more counting Oreo. Tugger seemed doing fine with his adversary, but Bomba wished they had a few more on their side. Sure, it was three against three, but Tugger and Bomba were cats.

Out of nowhere, two blurs of orange and black flew into the fight, biting and scratching at anything they could reach, closely followed by a whirl of black and white. Bomba was a little surprised to see Alonzo with Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, but she didn't complain. Suddenly the other Pollicles were outnumbered, and all three of them covered in miniscule scratches from the five cats.

Anya reared up, bringing her paws down on Oreo's face, knocking him to the ground. She glared at him, sticking her nose close enough to his face that he couldn't risk getting up without getting bitten. "I don't want you ever to call me Lupine again," she said, her voice dangerously low. Bomba was surprised to hear a deep growl coming from the husky's throat. "If you do, this will happen again."

Oreo glanced at the five cats, all of them still looking more like lions. He growled briefly, but sprang away, leading the other two dogs with him.

As soon as he was gone, Anya sighed. "I do not like fighting." She said wearily. "Oreo is usually nice, but he has issues when he can't be with Bailee." She looked down at Bomba. "He and Bailee are only mates some of the time," she rolled her eyes at the thought, and stood to continue on home as if nothing happened.

=^..^=

That was not the first time Oreo tried to attack me. I limped home, feeling every sting and pain in my body. But I was glad that my friends didn't get hurt. Sharlee and Matt would just take me to the vet to clean me up, so I knew I was going to be alright. The rain started to fall, and even though it was colder than anything I could remember, it felt good. The rain got into my cuts and washed away the blood, saving me the time it would take to lick myself clean.

I guessed that—since I felt a crack when I hit Oreo—that my ankle was injured, and I couldn't walk on it at all. I glanced behind to see if Tugger and Bomba were coming. They were walking right next to me, and their three other friends following close behind, making sure we got to Sharlee and Matt's house safely. I smiled at them and continued on the sidewalk.

^.-.^

"So," Bomba said casually as they entered the backyard. "Is there anything else you need to tell me about Pollicles, Tugger?"

Tugger nodded, though his grin was lopsided because of a fat lip. "The best thing in the world about Pollicles is that they are loyal to the very end. Even more so than us," he said, putting an arm around Bomba. She laughed; feline, fearless, faithful and true.

Anya gingerly lowered herself into a pile of leaves, taking care not to scatter them. "You guys are great friends," she said. "I am glad you came over to play, Bomba."

Bomba thought back to her first reaction to Anya; she'd been hissing and resisted every second of it. "I'm glad I came, too."

She and Tugger took care to avoid Anya's larger injuries, and curled up against Anya's stomach, and the three friends fell asleep despite the cold.

**FIN**

**I have to say, this has been a fun story. I won't be continuing this, but to satisfy any curiosities: Anya gets healed. She and Bomba stay good friends, and they have more playdates—all of which Tugger attends. Oreo and his cronies avoid Anya whenever possible, always afraid half a dozen 'monster cats' will pop out of nowhere and attack them. Bomba's human, Julie, adopts Lily after seeing how well Bomba gets along with dogs. Anything else? Ask and I'll PM ya :)**


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